Ok, I am a Highpower competitor, and I absolutely depend on a good spotting scope. I shoot both full-distance (up to 600 yards) and reduced course (200 yard) matches. At 300 and beyond, EVERYONE relies on spotter info from the pits for hit placement. At those distnces and beyond, we use our high-dollar scopes to watch the mirage. On 200 yard ranges, they don't have pits, so seeing hits is much more important.

I will tell you that what you're hoping for doesn't exist in an affordable and portable unit. At 200 yards, a good scope such as the Kowa TSN-1 (no longer made), the 611, 661, and 821 will easily show .223 holes IF mirage doesn't get you. The large and high quality scopes show mirage very well and often you won't see holes in the heat of the day at 200. A zoom will only magnify that effect. I use a 24X Long Eye Relief eyepiece in a Kowa 661. I have used 821s often but they are shut down by mirage just as quickly as the 661.

I would say 9 times out of 10 you'll see .22 holes at 200 with a good scope such as the ones listed above. You MAY be able to see .30 holes at 300. If you are in a hot area and shoting in mid-afternoon, forget it. Get out early in the morning.

One of the surprising scopes on the market is the Pro-Optic from Adorama.com. It will show hits at 200 easily and has adequate eye relief for position shooting. It is $109 or so, and they have a 30 day money-back guarantee. For a casual shooter, this may be the way to go.

Oh, and regarding stands, they are really important. If you shoot from position, you should get one made for Highpower shooting so you can get the scope very low and close to you fr prone, and very high for standing.